At dawn, when the sky was only beginning to brighten, Wang Chen quietly left Tongfu Inn.
He chose not to travel with Old Foreman's caravan again, lest everyone feel awkward. In any case, as long as he followed this road, he would reach Yan City.
Once there, Wang Chen could ask about the route to Jiangyuan City.
After walking several li along the mountain path, he suddenly stopped and said in a deep voice, "Come out, all of you. What kind of heroes skulk about like ghosts?"
Wang Chen had sensed someone watching him the previous night. Perhaps they had been wary of Tongfu Inn, for no one had come out to harass him.
But the moment he left the inn that morning, he immediately noticed that he was being watched again.
Wang Chen had remained calm all the way here precisely to make it easier to deal with them.
"Kehehehe!"
Amid a burst of hoarse, grating laughter, figures appeared to his left and right.
"You're Ling Zhiyuan of the Ling Family of Anyang City, aren't you?"
A middle-aged man blocked Wang Chen's path. He looked Wang Chen over with an eerie gaze, as though appraising valuable merchandise. "Young Master Ling, if you obediently come with us, you can spare yourself some suffering. I advise you not to be ungrateful."
Wang Chen asked calmly, "Aren't you afraid of the Blood-Clad Guard?"
"The Blood-Clad Guard? Hahaha!"
The middle-aged man laughed loudly. "Afraid? How could we possibly not be afraid? But we seek wealth, not lives. The Blood-Clad Guard won't meddle so broadly. Besides, can they still come save you now?"
A trace of cruelty appeared in his eyes. "Young Master Ling, I suggest you cooperate honestly. Otherwise..."
"We can still claim the reward by taking your corpse back!"
At this moment,